Akin: “I don’t know the future”

Ed MorrisseyPosted at 8:41 am on August 22, 2012

Great news for anti-establishment types in the GOP: Todd Akin has your back. The man who has been in Congress has a mission in this election, which is to fight against “party bosses” who want him out of the election. You know, the “party bosses” like, er, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin, et al. If that wasn’t clear, Akin manages to mention “party bosses” three times in the first minute or so of his interview on ABC’s Good Morning America. But even with that in mind, Akin’s still not quite sure he’ll stay in the race:

Here’s what Missouri Congressman Todd Akin said when I asked if he was in the race to stay – even if it looked like he would lose and possibly cost Republicans control of the Senate.

“Well George, I’m never going to say everything that could possibly happen. I don’t know the future, but I do know this. I know that the Party voters took a look at our hearts, understood who we were, had a chance to meet us in many, many different ways and made a decision,” Akin told me. “And it makes me uncomfortable to think that the party bosses are going to dictate who runs as opposed to the election process.”

Stehpanopoulos wondered aloud how the idea that women’s uteri could fight off rapist sperm got into Akin’s head. Akin chose to ignore that question, sticking instead to his apology and his belief that his pro-life principles will get him elected anyway:

The congressman, who sits on the House Science Committee, also admits that statement was medically wrong.

“The point of the matter is that, yes, pregnancy can happen as a result of rape. I understand that and I’ve acknowledged that fact. At the same time I don’t apologize for the fact that I’m consistently pro-life. I believe in defending the unborn and I believe that based on those kinds of principles I can win this race,” he said.

So, Akin won’t drop out of the race … maybe. The old line of attack, “liberal media,” seems to have been discarded for “party bosses,” even though it’s almost as ridiculous in this context. Yes, some “party bosses” wanted him to withdraw, but so did a lot of people who could hardly be called party bosses. Some of them are barely in the party at all. I think Akin needs a little more work on his messaging.